U.S. patent application number 13/529987 was filed with the patent office on 2012-12-27 for authenticated information exchange.
Invention is credited to Monty E. Edwards, BILLY G. TILLER.
Application Number | 20120330733 13/529987 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47362708 |
Filed Date | 2012-12-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120330733 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TILLER; BILLY G. ; et
al. |
December 27, 2012 |
AUTHENTICATED INFORMATION EXCHANGE
Abstract
An authenticated information exchange for creating value in an
agricultural producers' information, the exchange including an
electronic information storage vault, an authentication protocol,
at least one proprietary GIS layer, including a standard land unit,
geo-referencing capabilities, gatekeeping programs, and an error
resolution protocol.
Inventors: |
TILLER; BILLY G.; (Sudan,
TX) ; Edwards; Monty E.; (Sudan, TX) |
Family ID: |
47362708 |
Appl. No.: |
13/529987 |
Filed: |
June 21, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61499866 |
Jun 22, 2011 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.4 ;
705/35; 726/28 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 50/02 20130101;
G06F 16/29 20190101; G06F 21/6218 20130101; G06F 16/955 20190101;
G06Q 10/10 20130101; H04L 63/10 20130101; G06F 21/31 20130101; H04L
63/20 20130101; H04L 63/101 20130101; G06Q 30/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/14.4 ;
726/28; 705/35 |
International
Class: |
G06F 21/00 20060101
G06F021/00; G06Q 30/02 20120101 G06Q030/02; G06Q 30/00 20120101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1. An authenticated information exchange for creating value in an
agricultural producers' information, the exchange comprising: an
electronic information storage vault storing and classifying a
producer's information; an authentication protocol for limiting
access to the vault; at least one proprietary GIS layer, including
a standard land unit; a mechanism to geo-reference certain producer
information to the standard land unit; an automated mechanism to
link geo-referenced information to the standard land unit; a
gatekeeper program to enable limited information contribution to
the vault by second party originators; an error resolution
protocol, and a gatekeeper program to enable limited information
retrieval from the vault by authenticated third parties.
2. The exchange of claim 1 wherein information is selected from the
group consisting of producer data, reports, images, documents,
tables, geographic data and maps.
3. The exchange of claim 1 wherein the authentication protocol
allows a party limited access for the purpose of asking the
producer to grant retrieval or contribution rights.
4. The exchange of claim 1 where at least one of the elements are
controlled by software.
5. The exchange of claim 1 wherein value is created by monetizing a
producer's information through access fees.
6. The exchange of claim 1 wherein value is created by developing
advertisement revenues.
7. The exchange of claim 1 wherein value is created by classifying
and indexing producer information such that the producer can make
more informed business decisions.
8. The exchange of claim 1 wherein the standard land unit is
created by aggregating and dissecting information from a common
land unit having alpha numeric identifiers.
9. A method for an authenticated information exchange for creating
value in an agricultural producer's information, the method
comprising: establishing an electronic information storage vault
storing and classifying a producer's information; programming an
authentication protocol for limiting access to the vault; creating
at least one proprietary GIS layer, including a standard land unit;
creating a mechanism to geo-reference certain producer information
to the standard land unit; creating an automated mechanism to link
certain geo-referenced information to the standard land unit;
programming a gatekeeper program to enable limited information
contribution rights to the vault by second party originators;
implementing an error resolution protocol, and programming a
gatekeeper program to enable limited information retrieval from the
vault by authenticated third parties.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein information is selected from the
group consisting of producer data, reports, images, documents and
compilations.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the authentication protocol
allows a party limited access for the purpose of asking the
producer to grant retrieval or contribution rights.
12. The method of claim 9 where at least one of the elements are
controlled by software.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein value is created by monetizing a
producer's information through access fees.
14. The method of claim 9 wherein value is created by developing
advertisement revenues.
15. The method of claim 9 wherein value is created by classifying
and indexing producer information such that the producer can make
more informed business decisions.
16. The method of claim 9 wherein the standard land unit is created
by aggregating and dissecting information from a common land unit
having alpha numeric identifiers specific to the geographic
location.
17. A method for classifying and sharing, in a controlled fashion,
an agricultural producer's information, the method comprising
creating an electronic information storage vault having an
authentication protocol wherein the producer controls party access
and further where the vault houses at least one proprietary GIS
layer, the GIS layer including a standard land unit wherein the
producer and second party originators can geo-reference certain
producer information to the standard land unit and further where
certain geo-referenced information is linked to the standard land
unit, the vault including a gatekeeper program to enable limited
upload rights to the vault by second party originators, an error
resolution protocol to ensure information integrity, and a
gatekeeper program to enable limited information retrieval from the
vault by authenticated third parties, the method further monetizing
the producer's information.
18. The method in claim 17 wherein second party originators can
contribute information to the vault.
19. The method in claim 17 wherein authenticated third parties have
limited retrieval rights directed toward information in the
vault.
20. The method of claim 17 wherein the standard land unit is
created by aggregating and dissecting information from a common
land unit having alpha numeric identifiers specific to the
geographic location.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application claims priority to provisional
application 61/499,866 filed Jun. 22, 2011 by the present inventors
and the same is incorporated hereto in its entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
NAMES OF PARTIES TO JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT
[0003] Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING
[0004] Not Applicable
DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX
[0005] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY
[0006] 1. Field of the Invention
[0007] The disclosed relates generally to a novel system for an
authenticated information exchange, namely in specific industries
such as agriculture where numerous vendors or service providers
create reports and assimilate data that must then be transmitted to
the producer and shared with certain third parties.
[0008] 2. Description of Related Art
[0009] The concept of an information exchange is generally known in
the art, although it is less known with respect to specific
industries such as agriculture. Even in the broad sense, however,
the known information repository systems are limited in their
ability to effectively organize and share information among
multiple parties, as well as in their ability to control, limit and
authenticate third party access.
[0010] US Published Application 2010/0256994 entitled Privacy
Entitlement Protocols for Secure Data Exchange, Collection,
Monitoring and/or Alerting describes systems for providing
entitlement controlled levels of collaborative exchange of data
using a network of subscribers and publishers. US Published
Application 2008/0046292 Platform for Interoperable Healthcare Data
Exchange describes linking a plurality of remote applications
containing electronic health records in order to, in real-time,
collect, process and store health records. Although both describe
somewhat similar concepts, neither can be effectively tailored to
address the specific needs described herein.
[0011] In agriculture, and specifically with the advent of
precision agriculture, producers are inundated with a variety of
information from each of their many vendors and service providers,
such as lenders, processors, brokers, seed companies, spray pilots,
cotton gins and crop insurance companies. The producer is engaged
in a yearly "paper chase" to retrieve needed reports from each
vendor or service provider and then supply certain reports to a
third party. As an example, he may receive reports from his
processor that he then needs to provide to his banker or crop
insurance agent. He expends unnecessary time and energy picking up
and dropping off these reports. This outlay of time and energy is
compounded when he must track down landlords and obtain signatures
prior to sharing reports with certain third parties, such as crop
insurance adjusters and insurance agents.
[0012] Advances in technology have resulted in a much greater level
of accessible information for producers. The information
availability has become so vast that it has become nearly
unmanageable for producers. Producers need a centralized and secure
"vault" in which to store all the producers' information. Equally
important is their need to share this information with third
parties on an "as needed" basis, in a secure and controllable
fashion. A complicating factor is the producer's need to obtain and
assimilate the detailed information associated with each unit of
his land, in order that he may become a better steward of his land.
With the advent of known Geographic Information Systems, land
attributes and detailed geographic information can be closely
studied on a per unit basis. Although infinitely helpful, GIS data
adds an even more overwhelming volume of information to the
producer's library.
[0013] There is a need for a centralized and secure information
vault for producers. Such an information vault needs to be
implemented by an exchange and access controlled by the producer,
such that it can be accessible for vendors and service providers to
contribute information, accessible for third parties to view and
retrieve information, and yet remain secure. It should enable the
producer to spend less time communicating information among all his
third parties. The vault should have the capability to interface
with a system to store, retrieve, support and link a diverse
variety of information including data, reports, tables, geographic
data, maps, images and other pertinent information. The system is a
combination of software and processes, both electronic and manual,
by which the system can organize the information so the producer
can analyze it to make more informed business decisions.
SUMMARY DISCLOSURE
[0014] In accordance with the present invention, an authenticated
information exchange is disclosed that is specifically tailored to
agricultural producers.
[0015] An objective of the disclosure is an authenticated
information exchange for an agricultural producer's information and
records, including but not limited to data, documents, reports,
tables, geographic data, maps and images.
[0016] An objective of the disclosure is to enable a producer to
securely share information among authenticated third parties,
including but not limited to crop insurance agents, suppliers,
consultants, and government agencies.
[0017] An objective of the disclosure is to provide a secure
information vault wherein a producer and/or second party originator
can contribute information including but not limited to uploading
or originating information related to commodity production and the
production process of the agricultural producer's operation.
[0018] An objective of the disclosure is to grant authenticated
third parties limited access to a portion of the producer's
information with minimal or no efforts on the part of the
producer.
[0019] An objective of the disclosure is to provide an
authentication system whereby a producer can control access rights
to authenticated third parties for limited access to his stored
information.
[0020] An objective of the disclosure is to provide an
authentication system wherein a producer can verify and allow
second party originators to contribute specific information to the
producer data vault with minimal or no effort on the part of the
producer.
[0021] An objective of the disclosure is to analyze and classify a
producer's land units with the producer's input and subsequently
link information to this identified and defined geographic location
to form attributes to the land units in order to enable the
producer to make more informed business decisions.
[0022] An objective of the disclosure is the creation of value in a
producer's information by collecting, storing and classifying the
information in a way that preserves its integrity and offers
monetization potential in the form of access fees, advertising or
other forms of revenue.
[0023] An authenticated information exchange for creating value in
an agricultural producer's information, the exchange comprising an
electronic information storage vault storing and classifying a
producer's information; an authentication protocol for limiting
access to the vault; at least one proprietary GIS layer, including
a standard land unit; a mechanism to geo-reference certain producer
information to the standard land unit; an automated mechanism to
link geo-referenced information to the standard land unit; a
gatekeeper program to enable limited information contribution to
the vault by second party originators; an error resolution
protocol, and a gatekeeper program to enable limited information
retrieval from the vault by authenticated third parties.
[0024] A method for an authenticated information exchange for
creating value in an agricultural producer's information, the
method comprising: establishing an electronic information storage
vault storing and classifying a producer's information; programming
an authentication protocol for limiting access to the vault;
creating at least one proprietary GIS layer, including a standard
land unit; creating a mechanism to geo-reference certain producer
information to the standard land unit; creating an automated
mechanism to link certain geo-referenced information to the
standard land unit; programming a gatekeeper program to enable
limited information contribution rights to the vault by second
party originators; implementing an error resolution protocol, and
programming a gatekeeper program to enable limited information
retrieval from the vault by authenticated third parties.
[0025] A method for classifying and sharing, in a controlled
fashion, an agricultural producer's information, the method
comprising creating an electronic information storage vault having
an authentication protocol wherein the producer controls party
access and further where the vault houses at least one proprietary
GIS layer, the GIS layer including a standard land unit wherein the
producer and second party originators can geo-reference certain
producer information to the standard land unit and further where
certain geo-referenced information is linked to the standard land
unit, the vault including a gatekeeper program to enable limited
upload rights to the vault by second party originators, an error
resolution protocol to ensure information integrity, and a
gatekeeper program to enable limited information retrieval from the
vault by authenticated third parties, the method further monetizing
the producer's information.
[0026] Other advantages of the present invention will become
apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with
the accompanying figures, wherein, by way of illustration and
example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] The figures constitute a part of this specification and
include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be
embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some
instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated
or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention. To
enable more thorough understanding of the features and advantages
of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed
description of the invention along with the accompanying figures in
which:
[0028] FIG. 1 is a flowchart in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0029] FIG. 2 is a flowchart in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0030] FIG. 3 is a flowchart, in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0031] FIG. 4 is a flowchart, in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0032] FIG. 5 is a flowchart, in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0033] FIG. 6 is a flowchart in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0034] Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are
provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present
invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific
details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but
rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for
teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in
virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or
manner.
[0035] The disclosed method, system and components have become
critical due to the appetite of many third parties to have more
detailed information surrounding the producer's agricultural
business, and the desire that the information be geo referenced to
the producer's production land units. Another factor is the modern
day development of precision agriculture which provides producers
with more information than they are able to efficiently assimilate
and use. The digitization of all types of agricultural information
from various service providers has added to the mountains of
unorganized information, and in many cases this information is
available to the producer and third parties only in paper form.
Although the information currently available to producers is
beneficial, it is only so to the extent that it can be digested,
applied, shared and preferably even monetized. Despite the advent
of fax machines and email, it is still a tedious process for the
producer to exchange this information among his third parties,
especially when he at times must manually retrieve a document from
a second party originator (SPO), take it to a landlord for
signature and then deliver it to a third party.
[0036] In the system, there are two potential originators for any
information, one being the producer member and the other being a
second party originator. Examples of second party originators
include the service providers listed above, such as cotton gins,
spray pilots, grain elevators, crop processors, fertilizer dealers,
chemical dealers, real estate brokers, accountants, equipment
dealers, lenders, approved insurance providers, Farm Service
Agency, State Departments of Agriculture, and others who provide
goods or services to the producer member in the course of his
agricultural production. The second party originator is a second
party to a transaction or event with the first party, the producer.
The second party originator has the original information and in
most instances is the corroborating party which provides integrity
to the producer's information. Second party originators, once
granted access, by an authentication protocol, are allowed to
contribute information, for example by uploading documents or
reports or by originating information via data entry or other
methods, to the vault. Authenticated third parties (ATP), are
consumers in the system. They are not allowed to contribute
information, rather they are only allowed to retrieve and view
limited information, once granted access by an authentication
protocol. The authenticated third party was not a party in the
original transaction or event, but the authenticated third party
needs the information because of his relationship with the
producer. Examples of authenticated third parties include crop
insurance agents, seed companies, Farm Service Agency, approved
insurance providers, risk management agencies, market research
companies, commodity price forecasting companies, and lending
institutions. It is common for a party to be a second party
originator in one transaction or event, and then be an
authenticated third party in another transaction or event.
[0037] Using cotton producers as an example, the following is the
inefficient information transfer that currently occurs: The cotton
gin, an example of a second party originator, compiles and stores
production data of each producer in a digital format. Each year
they print this information and give a hard copy to the farmer
(producer). The farmer picks the hard copy up from the gin and
takes it to his crop insurance agent, an example of an
authenticated third party. The agent keys in the information from
the hard copy into the insurance provider's system for use in loss
determination and also for use in the farmer's actual production
history. This manual multiple entry system substantially increases
the risk for errors. In reality, in the future, this producer could
be flagged for an Actual Production History review and the Approved
Insurance Provider must appoint a crop insurance adjuster to once
again retrieve the multiple years of production records from the
insurance agents, processor, or the producer. This example shows
the originator of the information as the cotton gin, and in this
instance the cotton gin would be the party that could change or
revise the production if an error was located.
[0038] Clearly producers need not only an information management
system, but a means to assimilate and compile critical information
from second party originators and also a way to disseminate and
share specific pieces of the information in a producer controlled
environment with trusted third parties in an efficient manner.
Ideally such a system would provide a vehicle for creating value in
a producer's information. The producer needs a system to be able to
secure and synthesize information from an originator, store the
information securely, organize the information in a manner that
facilitates use of the information, access and/or share it with
authenticated third parties per the producer's discretion.
[0039] The disclosed method and system provides the producer with
seamless access to his information, while restricting authenticated
third parties to producer controlled limited access.
[0040] To ensure credibility and integrity of the system, an error
resolution protocol exists wherein the original provider of
information is the only party that can make changes or revisions to
the information. Any party can notify the exchange of an error, but
the original provider and originator of the document is the only
one who can make changes, which must be done according to the error
resolution protocol.
[0041] A component of the system is helping the producer identify
and understand each unit of his land. Each tract, or unit, of a
producer's land is really a mini-manufacturing unit or factory,
having a separate location on a map and a unique set of intrinsic
values and costs. It is important to identify and analyze each
individual unit so that the producer can determine variances in
productivity from unit to unit and customize his agricultural
business plan for each unit.
[0042] The government, through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) has
previously identified, within their Geographic Information System
(GIS), a basic layer called the Common Land Unit (CLU). According
to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a CLU is the
smallest unit of land that has a permanent, contiguous boundary, a
common land cover and land management, a common owner and a common
producer in agricultural land associated with USDA farm programs.
CLU boundaries are delineated from relatively permanent features
such as fence lines, roads and/or waterways. They have attributes
geospatially linked in a database format and also information in a
tabular format, which is not geospatially referenced, but it can be
queried for each producer.
[0043] CLU data is not, however, readily available. The 2008 Farm
Bill, H.R. 6124, specifically Section 1619, denied public access to
the CLU layer when Congress inserted language limiting the release
of the CLU or the accompanying attributes. Although there are
groups pushing to restore the public access of the CLU data with
the attributes of Field Boundary, Acres, Tract Number, Farm Number,
Field Number, Primary Classification of Land Unit Type and
Administrating county and state office, it is dubious whether these
efforts will be successful.
[0044] The producer, though, remains one of the few exceptions to
the restrictions and he can continue to access his CLU data. The
disclosed system provides a way by which producers can access,
analyze, share and use this CLU information in a manageable and
efficient manner, adding to their inventory of valuable and
relevant information within the producer controlled information
system.
[0045] The disclosed system includes assisting producers in the
creation of producer's Information Service Cooperative,
association, alliance or organization which, through contractual
agreements with the authenticated information exchange, provides
information services to the membership.
[0046] The disclosed system will create value from the member's
data that can then be monetized through access fees (for example,
charged to authenticated third parties or second party originators)
and various ancillary revenues from advertising. The producer's
information service cooperative may receive a portion of the
profits generated from the access to the members' information by
authenticated third parties. A portion would also stream back to
the producer.
[0047] A component of the disclosed system is the compilation of
proprietary agricultural production units known as Standard Land
Units (SLU's) which are aggregations, dissections, or assimilations
of the CLUs. The SLUs are a more manageable way for the producer to
store and analyze information on individual production units
because the SLU layer is crafted with the producer's input defining
his area of economic significance and refined in scope with the use
of crop insurance unit structures, and producer's land unit names.
During activation of the system, the CLU's will be processed in
order to create SLUs that will be the basic land unit structure for
the geospatial referencing of any information in the system,
accessible to the producer and his chosen authenticated third
parties. The SLU layer will also be the land unit structure
utilized by second party originators when they contribute
information that will be enhanced with geospatial linking. The
disclosed system will also retain the CLU layer for use by the
producer.
[0048] In practice a component of the disclosed system will be an
online GIS, which will act as the graphic user interface (GUI). The
producer will sign in and authenticate himself as an authorized
user at the portal site. Once sign in is complete, and the producer
has opened the GIS portion of the system, a map from the GIS will
populate with this producer's land unit data. The SLU will seem to
the viewer to be a file drawer as the information or data
attributes are geo-referenced to the SLU. As an example, for cotton
production, the gin accounts (linking production data) will be
linked to the SLU.
[0049] To start, the producer member, as a member of the
information services cooperative, will allow the exchange to gain
access to the producer's CLU layer. The producer, using tools of,
and in conjunction with, the exchange will aggregate, dissect, or
in some cases assimilate the CLU data into SLU's (the SLUs being
the unique and proprietary polygons created from the CLU's that are
further explained by alphanumeric identifiers that identify the
farm). Processor account numbers and/or unique identifiers related
to the geographic location of the SLU will be linked to the SLU, as
will the Multiple Peril Crop Insurance unit nickname for the
SLU.
[0050] The authenticated information exchange, in the preferred
embodiment, is managed by a system of software and services where
an agricultural producer's information is initially originated by
the producer and/or authenticated second party originators,
securely stored, organized in a proprietary system, utilized as a
major aspect of the producer's internal management system, and then
shared externally, with the producer's permission, with
authenticated third parties (ATP). Access to the system, which
includes the server based information vault, is enabled by a
proprietary interface operating in a remote and mobile means
utilizing a secure access portal available with internet access.
Internet is meant to be inclusive of all those features that
constitute mobile and remote access including but not limited to
virtual private networks, cloud computing, and for instance remote
desktop. The entire exchange is closed, secure, proprietary, and
only available to authenticated subscribers. The means of
authentication will include but not be limited to a user name and
password, biometrics, or some other future means of
authentication.
[0051] While producer members will have full access in the
exchange, authenticated facilitating parties will have only limited
ability to contribute in the case of second party originators or
retrieve information in the case of authenticated third parties.
The exchange is "producer controlled" in that the producer
determines the level, if any, of access the authenticated third
party may be granted to access the producer's information. The
premium version may allow the producer to file notations and
documents geo referenced to the appropriate SLU's. He would also
have the ability to store within his vault important documents,
records, and notations that were general in nature and not
specifically geo referenced.
[0052] With regard to the facilitating parties, which are known
within the disclosed system as authenticated third parties and
second party originators, a novel authentication process is a
component of the disclosed system. First, the facilitating party
must be authenticated by the exchange administrator, as part of the
services offered to the member/producer. At this access entry
point, the process may be manual to assure the credibility of the
facilitating party. The exchange screens the facilitating parties
to determine if they indeed have a valid business reason for being
allowed access to the producer member. Once they have been screened
(authenticated), they become visible to the producer. At this stage
the facilitating party still cannot actually deliver or retrieve
any producer data. He can only request a "handshake with the
producer" from the producer/member. The producer member can grant a
second party originator the right to contribute information to the
repository on the producer's behalf. The producer member can allow
or deny an authenticated third party access to his information
within the exchange. He can also limit what the third party can
access or do by selecting from a variety of permission levels. He
can even limit the amount of time the authenticated third party can
access his system.
[0053] Once authenticated by the exchange and permitted access by
the producer/member, the second party originator may proceed to
contribute information to the producer's account, for example, a
cotton gin once authenticated and permitted access could contribute
production reports. Part of the value in this system is that the
information, because it is being contributed (uploaded or
originated) directly by the originating party, cannot be falsified
or altered, but rather is clean, credible information, much in the
way that financial data is reported by financial institutions to
credit agencies. A component of the disclosed system is a method or
process through which disclosed erroneous information is routed
back to the originator if corrections are warranted. Second party
originator's authenticated rights can be terminated if the
originator is found to be contributing erroneous information on a
continuous basis. The value of the exchange is created by
competent, certifiable, accurate and organized information.
[0054] The contributed information, for example, production
records, custom applied chemical records, crop insurance records,
FSA data and member notations, can be geo-referenced to the
producer's SLUs. The geo-referencing could happen in various ways.
One mechanism may be in the form of manual data entry. Another
mechanism may be in the form of software performing an automated
task. In the preferred method, the system will query the producer
as to whether he wishes to link newly originated information to an
existing SLU. If he answers affirmatively, the system displays a
map of his SLU layer. He can then click on the SLU that corresponds
to the information and the system will attach the SLU identifier in
a field in the metadata of the information (geo-tagged). The
producer can also upload geo-tagged information. The system will
look for the geo tag and determine which SLU the GIS coordinates
lie within. If the geo tag is the SLU identifier in the appropriate
field then the system will recognize the link to the SLU.
[0055] The exchange may also develop products that are enhancements
by combining the information from a series of originators that can
be sold to an ATP. As an example, large biotech seed companies
often need several pieces of data to complete a seed rebate to a
cotton producer when the producer's crop is destroyed early in the
growing season. The producer is refunded his technology fee from
the seed company when the seed company receives the needed
information which may include crop insurance loss data from the
adjuster's worksheet, the planted acreage via the updated CLU data
or the crop insurance data, failed cotton acreage via form FSA-576,
the seed invoices via the seed vendor's invoice, and the
biotechnology seed planted on these acres via the seed vendor or
the producer/member. The seed company may also require chemical
invoices as well as documentation of the premium seed. All this
data could be part of the producer's file within the exchange and
the necessary information could easily be made available to the
seed company with a few clicks by the producer, as opposed to days
amassing the information and transporting it to the seed
company.
[0056] Another novel aspect will be a concept where a document is
created through a template and this document does not reside in the
exchange until it is accessed. It is a template that has fields
which are populated from database data that resides in the
exchange. Once accessed by a producer/member or a subscriber, the
fields populate and this document is available for print by the
interested party. This may be a way to provide the above described
information to the seed company without providing them access to
the producer's information.
[0057] Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the
general flow of the disclosed authenticated information exchange
10. The exchange utilizes an electronic information storage vault
20 in which to securely house the information contributed by the
second party originators and producer member. In order to further
ensure security and reliable access, an authentication protocol 30
is utilized, to govern who is allowed access to the exchange. A
proprietary GIS layer 40 is created in the exchange, specific to
each producer member's land. Geo-referencing 50 is utilized to
identify and organize land units. The geo-referenced information is
synced 60 to applicable information. A second party originators
gatekeeper program 70 coordinates what types of access a second
party originator is entitled to, for example their contribution
rights. An authenticated third parties gatekeeper program 80
coordinates what types of access an authenticated third party is
entitled to, for example what information they may retrieve. An
error resolution protocol 90 exists to ensure the integrity of the
housed information.
[0058] Turning to FIG. 2, the GIS layer includes the creation of a
standard land unit 200. To enable this, the producer, upon becoming
a member of the exchange, allows the cooperative access to his
existing CLUs 210. Software and services of the exchange are used
by the producer to aggregate and dissect the CLU into an SLU 220.
Processor identifiers are linked to the SLU 230. Producer
information is geo-referenced to the SLU 240. Other geo-referenced
information is then linked (synced) to the SLU 250. For example,
the exchange or producers can inform the second party originators
of how to geo-tag an information item. Upon the second party
originator contributing it to the exchange, software would automate
the process. For instance a field of information within the record
or a field in the metadata would either have a GIS coordinate that
the system would utilize to identify the appropriate SLU or the
field could contain the SLU identifier.
[0059] In FIG. 3, the authentication protocol 300 is described.
Facilitating parties include both second party originators and
authenticated third parties. To begin, the facilitating party is
prescreened 310 by the exchange. This prescreening is performed by
the exchange to ascertain who the party is, what type of access
they are seeking and whether they appear to be credible. If the
prescreen is successful, the facilitating party becomes visible to
the producer 320 via a program or online notification. The
facilitating party then requests a "handshake with the producer"
330. The producer may allow or deny the handshake 340. If the
producer allows the handshake, he then may proceed to grant the
appropriate level of access 350. For example, if the facilitating
party qualifies as a second party originator, the producer will
grant information contribution rights. If the facilitating party
qualifies as an authenticated third party, the producer will grant
information retrieval rights. The producer may further limit the
extent or type of contribution or retrieval rights. Once access is
granted, second party originators may begin contributing
information 360. Similarly, authenticated third parties may begin
retrieving allowed information 370. The producer member will retain
the right and ability to further limit or revoke future access.
[0060] FIG. 4 outlines the process by which a producer member's
information may be monetized for his benefit, as well as the
benefit of the exchange. The exchange enables monetization 400 by
collecting, storing and classifying producer information in an
access controlled exchange 410. The exchange can then monetize
producer information by charging access fees 420, for example to
authenticated third parties who need to be able to retrieve
information. The exchange can monetize producer information with
advertising revenue 430, for example by selling advertising space
to second party originators, authenticated third parties, or
others. The exchange further monetizes producer information by
increasing producer income as a result of improved producer
business decisions 440.
[0061] In FIG. 5 is illustrated the layers of information
technology that enable the exchange to function. In the first
layer, users, including producers, second party originators and
authenticated third parties access the system via the internet 500.
They may do so via computer, mobile phone, tablet or other
available means. A certificate authority 510 housed in a
certificate server ensures site credibility or domain validation. A
firewall or network 520 exists between this layer and the web layer
530, which is housed on web servers using DMZ/hosted or onsite
providers. A second firewall or network 540 resides between this
layer and the exchange storage vault 550 which may also utilize SAN
disk storage or other appropriate storage means.
[0062] FIG. 6 illustrates in more detail the process of creating
the SLU layer using the CLU layer. Tabular information is
additional information that can be geo-tagged. In the figure, the
producer, who is a member of the information services cooperative,
is added to the exchange 600. The system makes a request for the
CLU/tabular information 610. The producer may also submit a request
for missing or incorrect CLU information 620 (usually from the
United States Department of Agriculture or USDA). The USDA, which
may be authenticated as a second party originator receives the
request 630 and supplies the information 640 and the exchange
stores the producer CLU/tabular information 650. The exchange adds
the CLU layer into the GIS system 660 and sends a notification to
the producer that the CLU layer is ready for confirmation 670. The
producer accesses the GIS GUI to confirm that the CLU information
is correct 680. If confirmed, the producer accepts the CLU layer
690. The confirmed CLU is made available to the producer in the
interactive GIS system 700. The exchange sends notification that
the confirmed CLU layer is available 710 and the producer uses the
GUI to assimilate, dissect or aggregate the CLU to create a new SLU
for the SLU layer 720. The producer finalizes the SLU layer through
the GUI 730. The exchange then assigns an SLU alphanumeric
identifier to each SLU in the layer 740 and stores the SLU layer
and attributes 750. The SLU layer is made available through the
GUI/GIS system 760. The producer can then link (sync) information,
including but not limited to reports, documents, maps, images,
tables and other information to the layer 770. Similarly, the
second party originators can link information to the SLU layer
780.
[0063] In summary, the disclosed exchange and system will offer
significant advantages and opportunities to the producer. One
advantage is that the exchange allows the producer member full
access to the vault and the GIS layers, for his use as a management
information system, yet much of the information found therein has
been contributed by second party originators at no expense or
effort by the producer. Rather than the producer having to collect
all of this information from his various service providers, he is
able to, by virtue of his membership to the exchange, have it
contributed to his vault for him, and potentially even monetized
for him. The system is advantageous for the producer member, the
second party originators, and the authenticated third parties, in
that it enables secure access to information that is credible and
trustworthy.
[0064] Envisioned are both a free base product and a premium priced
product to offer choices to subscribers. The system as described
herein can also be used in other industries, outside of
agriculture, for example with regard to healthcare records or other
industries requiring a large volume of data production and
exchange.
[0065] While the invention has been described in connection with a
preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the
invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it
is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and
equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined by the appended claims.
[0066] It is to be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein
are shown for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be
construed as limitations of the disclosed method and system. Those
skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain in the
course of routine experimentation, that variations and equivalents
of the embodiments may be undertaken without departing from the
scope of the invention.
[0067] Certain terms are used throughout the description to refer
to particular method components. As one skilled in the art will
appreciate, design and manufacturing companies may refer to a
component by different names. This document does not intend to
distinguish between components that differ in name but not
function.
[0068] The terms "including" and "comprising" are used in an
open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean
"including, but not limited to . . . ." Also, the term "couple" or
"couples" is intended to mean either an indirect or direct
connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device,
that connection may be through a direct connection or through an
indirect connection via other intermediate devices and connections.
Moreover, the term "method" means "one or more components" combined
together. Thus, a method can comprise an "entire method" or "sub
methods" within the method.
[0069] The use of the word "a" or "an" when used in conjunction
with the word "comprising" may mean "one", or may also mean "one or
more." The use of the term "or" in the claims is used to mean
"and/or" unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only
or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the
disclosures supports a definition that refers to only alternatives
and "and/or."
[0070] The methods and systems disclosed and claimed herein can be
made and executed without undue experimentation based on the level
of disclosure presented. While the methods and systems have been
described in terms of their preferred embodiments, it will be
apparent to those skilled in the art that they are not limited to
the exact steps described and may vary from such description
without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The
substitutes and modifications employed by one skilled in the art
are deemed to fall within the scope of the invention.
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